1. Not such a bad idea. The old "blue laws" may have been too restictive, but...

3. Can't cities do this?

I would think that local ordinances would prohibit retailers from activities during certain hours.

You know, it sucks for cities because they probably have to ramp up their services that day (police patrols, et. al.) because people aren't home in bed, but getting into fist-fights over the last Tickle Me Elmo.

5. The only solution for this is for people not to shop...

37. True, but now they make it an incentive

I went appliance shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving. I was told that at 8 pm on Thanksgiving night, the appliance would be one-third cheaper and when I told them I didn't want to come that day, they added perks -- free delivery -- a third off of installation. They would not make the same deal for Black Friday and would not take an order over the phone.

24. gas stations? the power company? the gas company? the water company? drug stores?

There are many types of businesses that need to have people working every day of the year. Most try to get by on a skeleton staff, but the fact remains that not everyone gets Thanksgiving off. Why should people in one type of work be more protected than those that have chosen other lines of work?

27. Group Homes

for the developmentally disabled. SOMEBODY has to be with them 24/7. I worked Overnight shift so I could still have (a very tired) Holiday with my family, although I was paid double time for these Holidays and had a very, very nice benefits package.

My daughter works in retail (LP) and they get none of the above. Besides, caring for those who cannot care for themselves is worth far more than some shopper getting a "grand bargain" on Thanksgiving.

35. I dont understand. Why? nm

8. My Wife Is A 25

year veteran of Wal-Mart. I hate it. She hates it. I have had major health issues including heart surgeries. She is job-tied because of the insurance mess. We haven't had a normal Thanksgiving in 2 decades. This year, she had to be at work at 9:00 PM Thanksgiving night. Up until this year, it was always 10:00PM or later. She now works overnight to get the extra incintive pay, and has been told that she will have to be at work at 10:00 PM on Christmas night.

I am so looking forward to Obamacare making it possible for her to leave Wal-Mart and allow for me to continue to have healthcare insurance. She is already searching for a job, and we stand to gain a huge chunk of money from her retirement account when she leaves. We will be able to pay off everything that we owe, and have enough money to pay for COBRA for 6 months while she becomes eligible for insurance at a new job.

Being on disability limits my options, but getting her away from Wal-Mart has been my top priority for nearly a decade now, and it is so close that I can smell it.

36. What a great idea. I think we should go even farther. Lets have a Freedom day and force everyone

to celebrate. Close everything. Require everyone to fly their flag of freedom and say "I am free, I am free, that you Walmart, I am free" 17 thousand times while facing toward Arkansas [Walmart headquarters]

But whatever you do, do not say the H-words that sound like Sappy Solidays.

14. Or say that every worker has the right to negotiate a rate for the day

with or without the help of a union to negotiate on their behalf. So if a worker says they want $500 to work Thanksgiving evening, the company owner can take it or not, and cannot discriminate against any individual who declines to work, or asks for more than it's worth to the employer. And if the employer can't persuade the key workers to work on Thanksgiving, that's the employer's tough luck - everyone gets the holiday.

12. Everything old is new again. Remember when all businesses were closed on holidays, and on Sundays?

16. that was back in the day

when minimum wage could actually pay the rent. ahhhh the good old days. my parents bought a lovely 4 bedroom tract home with 2 bathrooms and yards in the front and back for $300 down and less than a $100/month.

i was a newborn then, and will be a corpse before it ever goes back if it ever does.

17. Good for him.

I know several families who didn't have Thanksgiving because one or more of them were working.

Why would this be up to the merchants to decide? good lord, yes, of course what am I thinking. OF COURSE the corporations know best and have our best interests in mind when they make decisions that all must work on Black Friday eve.

41. Yes, I think it's a good thing.

I think weekends are good things too. And 40 hour work weeks.

I have friends and family who have had their holidays taken from them. The merchants make the money and it sucks to work your ass off for the equivalent of $50 on a holiday. If you haven't had to work, you should try it and try to imagine that some people have no choice but to work in retail as that is the only places hiring.

21. blue laws are inevitably arbitrary and unfair

As others have said, the reason more and more stores open on Thanksgiving is that there is enough demand from shoppers to justify it. Moreover, a law that bars some businesses from operating on Thanksgiving, but not others is inherently arbitrary. Should grocery stores be required to close? Many do, but others stay open for some portion of the day, often making it possible for people to "rescue" their Thanksgiving meal. What about drug stores? Obviously they should be allowed to stay open since the unexpected need for medical supplies does not disappear on Thanksgiving. But most drug stores sell other things -- a lot of the same things one finds in other stores -- so should they be allowed to be open but other stores selling the same types of items must close? What about movie theaters-- because of Superstorm Sandy, my family ended up having Thanksgiving dinner with friends on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, my wife and I cooked ourselves an early dinner and then went to the movies. Gas stations are an obvious exception, but they often sell food stuffs and other things one might purchase at another type of store.
If its okay to buy batteries at a grocery store, a drug store, or a gas station on Thanksgiving, why should Radio Shack have to close?

If its about the workers and their families, why do the workers at Wal Mart or Macy's or some other clothing or department store be more "protected" than workers at other types of business establishments?

I grew up in a state that had Sunday closing blue laws and I hated them. I had an uncle who was an observant Jew and he had a shoe store. To honor his religious beliefs, he would stay closed on Saturday. But by law, he also had to close on Sunday, giving his competitors one more day to do business than he had. These laws laughably were upheld in the 60s by the courts based on the fiction that they were not religious in nature but were intended to ensure that workers had a day off. But a law that says you can only be open six days a week without specifying which day you must close would accomplish that goal. It was also argued that it was important for society that there be a common "uniform" day of rest -- but as noted, these laws were and continue to be riddled with exceptions making them anything but "uniform." There is no rational basis for mandating that car dealership be closed on Sundays or that alcohol not be sold on Sundays --two of the more common remaining "blue laws" found in many jurisdictions.

The world has changed since the era of blue laws. We are more spread out, more mobile, more flexible in when, how, and where we work. You can shut down stores, but with the internet, you can't shut down commerce. Forcing brick and mortar businesses to close simply makes no sense. In a diverse society, not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving in some traditional Norman Rockwell way, and trying to turn back the clock with silly laws will not change that.

28. What if you're not thankful, and your friends are dicks and your family is dead?

So the Government tells us we HAVE TO BE "thankful?" So sit home by yourself and wish your parents were still alive, and your brother wasn't in prison, and that you could actually afford a turkey. Whose right is it to dictate this (btw, I'm not describing my situation, just reminding that there are more than 300,000,000 people in America, and we don't all share a fortunate life).

30. The government has the right to enforce a day of respite

for working people.

You don't have to have a fortunate life to enjoy a day of peace and quiet and no work. If you just take a walk in a park or call a friend, that is restful.

If you don't have family or friends, volunteer to help others on Thanksgiving. Find a shelter or hospice in your area and, if you have nothing more, share your good health (or at least not so bad health) with others. Do the same on Christmas. It isn't about religion. It is about remembering we are human beings and not speechless animals.

32. Then impose a limit on the number of days or hours that people can be required to work

But the fact is that blue laws are never "uniform" and never apply to all working people. There are always exceptions. Why should someone who has chosen one line of work be entitled to a government mandated uniform day off? Why should people who have that day off be denied the opportunity, by government fiat, to use that time off to run errands, do some things that might make their otherwise hectic work week a bit easier? Heck, if there is such a requirement, shouldn't it apply to Labor Day rather than Thanksgiving?

And of course its about religion. If it wasn't, then Labor Day would be that day off.

39. Labor Day would be fine.

33. But as a practical matter, many of us are speechless animals.

Just sayin'.

Again, you're making assumptions/presumptions about what we "should" do. I you feel Walmart should stay closed on Thanksgiving Evening, write them a letter, refuse to patronize them. But there are apparently enough people in America who don't feel the same way you do. Why should the government be telling them to stay home and "reflect," or go feed some homeless people? Shouldn't these be personal choices?

If we, as a nation, refused to make it profitable for Walmart to open on Thanksgiving, they wouldn't open. I don't want the government telling me I have to "reflect" any more than I want them to demand that I attend a church.

26. So every American has to believe in the same traditions?

That's sad.

In Connecticut, the "blue laws" on package stores just got lifted. But funny thing is, they weren't actually for religious reasons or temperance, etc. They were all about protecting small Mom & Pop package stores from competition from big chain stores. Up until recently, all package stores had to close by 8:00 pm, and couldn't open at all on Sundays. We changed the closing time to 9:00 a few years ago, but only opened on Sunday starting this year. Yet, you can drive 30 minutes to Rhode Island or Massachusetts and the stores are open until 11:00, and open on Sundays, too. It's totally arbitrary, and totally ridiculous.

I don't think anyone should be forced to celebrate "Thanksgiving," which a lot of history tells us really might not have been something to be all that thankful for. Maybe your life sucks and you're NOT thankful, and would rather earn a paycheck so you can pay your bills. Maybe you hate Santa Claus. Maybe you're an atheist. If you disagree so adamantly, you'll be among those who stay home and celebrate with your family instead of camping out at the store for two days to buy a cheap tv.